Good pubs in London?

The wife and I are heading to London for a few days in a couple months and I'm looking for suggestions on specific pubs to check out and/or beers to try. We'll be staying in the Bayswater area. Unfortunately, the wife is preggers so we won't be pub crawling too much which means I need to find a great one early on. I'm a huge fan of English ales of all types from milds to browns to old ales and stouts. I was hoping to make it to the Sam Smith Brewery in Leeds but time won't permit that trip this visit.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

- Chris

Bayswater!!! Hmm, that's where I stayed years ago when I visited London. I went to quite a few pubs, but, for the life of me, can't remember the name of a single one...that was a GOOD trip!!!



Completely off topic, but one of the best things we did in London was follow the Jack the Ripper route laid out in the book Walking Haunted London. If you're up for it, start the route at dusk, take the book with you to read the excerpts, grab Indian food for dinner on Brick Lane and finish the night with a few pints.

Check out this website. My brother-in-law lives in London and put me onto it.

Fancyapint? - the guide to pubs in Britain. Your comprehensive pub guide covering London pubs, UK pubs and pubs in the Republic of Ireland.

I'll be in London at the end of August. One pub that I want to hoist a few at is the Lord Clyde in Borough. Apparently, it's a classic London pub with lots of real ales on beer engines.

CAMRA has a good beer guide that lists, I think, pretty much all of the places in the UK that sell real ale. Might be worth a look. Doesn't just list them, but discusses them, I think.

Just got back from London, I have a must-see pub for you!

The Old Bank of England. Absolutely beautiful old bank turned into a pub. Its near the Royal Courts of Justice so a lot of suit/ties, but nice/casual dress is acceptable.

Old Bank of England Pub, Holborn, London - Traditional and Historic London Pub Guide @ Pubs.com

train to edinburgh - Leslies Bar.

I'd second the Old Bank, but would also head you towards the Artillery Arms 102 Bunhill Row EC1Y 8ND. It is much smaller and less pretentious. A real London pub with real ordinary people in it. Do a street-view search to get a feel for it. The beer was top notch! you must try the ESB as not all pubs have that on draught, especially the big flashy ones..If you then want an expensive, out of the ordinary meal, taxi yourselves up the road a bit to Bacchus, 177 Hoxton st for a 9 or 12 course meal with accompanying wines with each of the tiny little taster courses. Brilliant, unusual, and at about 80 quid a head, the sort of food you will usually have to pay twice that for! The old Bank at mid day, with the Artillery and Bacchus in the evening would be my day!

You will have to book the Bacchus well in advance....Check out Heston Blumenthal for the cooking style.....Sous vide...he does the same sort of stuff in a flasher more expensive environment...

When I was in London last year, I went to several pubs that had the Cask Marque displayed, meaning they served cask ales. I don't think they're related at all with CAMRA, but I think the philosophy is similar and I drank some really excellent pints at those pubs.

The website describing Cask Marque is here: Cask Marque and they have a list of participating pubs.

As for specific beers, I recommend Theakston's Best Bitter (best pint I had in London) and, of course, Fuller's London Pride.

-Steve

I would add that it is a good idea to order beer in half pint measures so you can checkout if you like it...then move up to the more usual pint measure if the beer passes muster. The beer in our British pubs can vary from day to day so you always have to give it a tentative check first...Fullers beers are most often awesomely good...and no, I do not work for them!

Every time I head back home, I always head to Covent Garden - plenty of nice pubs with decent pints, a real hive of activity, lots to see and do for the discerning drinker and pregnant alike, and some really good restaurants too.

It is also very easy walking to the Strand, Admiralty House, Trafalgar Square, and the London Eye, Westminster, and if you are really keen, Buck Palace too.

Pretty much everything I like to see, all in one pub crawl...

Edit: I would also just ask to try before you buy. Then you can order a full pint instead of being soft!

Blackfriars was my personal favorite.
Old Bank is amazing and a must see.
The HArp was my wife's favorite.
The Porter House has a great oyster stout to try
And the Jerusalem is the best "off the path" pub we went to.

****.. there's like a dozen others we loved, it was our primary reason for going there, so we saw a whole lot..

You are definitely going to find London beer prices a bit of a shock, so bring plenty of money.

The amount you usually get as a "taster" can sometimes be too small to make a correct choice, especially as you are pressurized to make a quick decision while standing at the bar.

My local in Birmingham, The Old Joint Stock, always has two separate barrels of our favorite beer on the go, so SWMBO and I get a half pint from each pump, then go sit down and decide which barrel to help to empty!!

Old Joint Stock pub with great food, good beer in an amazing character building with its own pub theatre.

+1 on Blackfriars. It is pretty much what I imagine an old english pub atmosphere to be, and they have decent food too.